How Millennials Are Driving Modern Mobility in the Supply Chain

A recent analysis of U.S. Census data by the Pew Research Center found that more than 30 percent of today’s American workers are of the millennial generation. This percentage is expected to rise as an increasing number of those born between the early 1980s and mid-2000s enter the workforce. Within a few short years, we can expect that millennials will comprise more than half of the workforce, with most baby boomers meeting or having already met retirement age.

One of the key characteristics of millennials is that it they are one of the most tech-savvy generations ever to enter the workforce. Because they grew up during the digital revolution, they were exposed to computers and mobile devices from a very young age, never really knowing what it is like to live without Internet access. As such, millennials have high expectations of their employers when it comes to technology.

Android-based Supply Chain Mobility Solutions Provide Many Benefits

For the supply chain and warehousing sector, the burgeoning millennial workforce means an increased need for providing more sophisticated and functional mobile solutions. Many of these workers have never encountered a “green screen” terminal emulation client. Instead, they expect intuitive interfaces, such as the tap-and-swipe user experience of modern smartphones and tablets.

With Microsoft Windows CE and Windows Mobile reaching end of support by 2021, warehousing and logistics firms are now turning to Android-based mobility solutions to address the needs of their younger workers. As a result, they are also realizing a number of unexpected benefits along the way.

For example, Android-based mobility solutions can increase agility and speed, delivering greater productivity by enabling workers to accomplish tasks more quickly. Better resource utilization is another benefit of Android-based supply chain mobility solutions, as they enable warehouse professionals to move away from processes that are driven by manual labor and paper-based tracking. This can help to improve efficiencies and promote accuracy with critical processes such as inbound/outbound handling, storage, inventory control, pick and fill. With the Android OS’s intuitive interface, organizations can also experience improved knowledge-sharing between workers.

Modern Mobility Can Drive Improved Engagement and Retention

In addition to being incredibly tech-savvy, millennials also engage differently in the workplace than previous generations. There is much anecdotal evidence to suggest that millennials are more comfortable communicating electronically than older generations.

What this means for the supply chain and warehousing industry is that they need to provide technologies that enable their workers to quickly and efficiently communicate with each other and their supervisors electronically. The touch-enabled experience of the Android platform can support this.

Another way that businesses, including those in the supply chain and warehousing industry, are leveraging mobile platforms to engage and retain younger workers is through gamification. When organizations upgrade to Android-based supply chain mobility solutions, they are also able to add apps that help workers track performance, and motivate them through incentives that are linked to their individual success. These organizations can also create ways for workers to both collaborate with and compete against each other through “leaderboards” that help drive improved performance and engagement.

There is no doubt millennials are changing the way we work, and businesses across the supply chain must make it a priority to include mobility initiatives as part of their overall IT strategy. Android-based solutions are the next wave in supply chain mobility – one that warehousing and logistics firms can’t afford to miss.

Robert DeStefano is a senior product marketing manager at Ivanti Supply Chain. He has more than 18 years of experience helping businesses understand the value of mobile technology solutions when it comes to boosting worker productivity and enforcing mobile security.